Next to the Moonlight the Coming Morning
by star.everlasting
Summary: [Caelus Aeternus 2/?, Nox Caelum AU] [Prompt: who gets to become Queen, and who gets to become Oracle?] - It was the very thing Luna dreaded- an imbalance of power.


This is the second installment of the Nox Caelum AU series featuring Diana, Dawn, and their family :) more family fluff, and more of our adorable Princesses! Gahhh I just love them so much.

This prompt was given by BARRRRR on AO3! Prompts are definitely still open, so if you have an idea you would like me to write out, please feel free to shoot me a message here or on my tumblr finalfantasyx.

Reading chapters 16 and 17 of Nox Caelum is not a requirement to understand this story, but it will definitely help if you read Eclipse to get a feel for this world and this family :)

Also, Noctis put his foot down and decided that his girls were going to go to public school.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Final Fantasy XV. Diana and Dawn are original characters.

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Diana and Dawn Lucis Caelum-Fleuret were destined for greatness. There was no doubt about that, anyone who knew the two Princesses knew it- Diana was next to take the crown, with Dawn right by her side as a possible candidate for the role of Oracle. The two sisters were already and would be inseparable, supporting each other, building Eos up in its golden age. It looked to be perfect, but if there was one thing that their parents, Noctis Lucis Caelum and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, knew, it was that things rarely worked out that way. In fact, it was Stella who first approached her sister, with concern in her eyes and Prompto right behind her.

"Dawn isn't going to be the Oracle."

It was the very thing that Luna dreaded- an imbalance of power. However, it wasn't just Stella's opinion either. Prompto agreed, after having a lengthy conversation with them regarding the requirements of being Oracle, that Dawn was not suited for the role, if simply because of her personality.

"The girl is indeed a free spirit," Ignis said when the topic came up during a family dinner one night, after both girls had been tucked in. "She could be groomed into the role of Oracle, but I believe Stella is correct- she would not reach the full potential of becoming one. Lunafreya, you remember the training and the calling that Stella did not have."

He left the latter half of his sentence unsaid, the implication of his words hanging heavy in the air. Luna, a worried mother, had no such patience and jumped straight to the point, bringing down Ignis' silence with an almighty crash. Here, Stella reached out to hold her sister's hand, in a silent show of support as Luna shook her head. "It's too much responsibility for just Diana," she replied. "As both Queen and Oracle? To have to be both at once is too much."

"But if the calling _is_ indeed with Diana, as is the burden to become Queen?" Ignis asked. "And if it _is_ Dawn's place, to watch her sister from the sideline instead of beside her?"

It was a decision that would have be made sooner or later; official training would have to take place while the girls were still young. There was power in being a Queen of Lucis, and even more so with the combined powers of being the Oracle of Tenebrae. Time, it seemed, was both their ally and their enemy, both being too much and never enough- the girls were growing more and more with each passing day, their skillsets becoming more and more evident. Dawn had a talent for offensive tactics and combative skills; Nyx and Luche had especially taken her under their wing to further develop her skills while Diana, notably, wielded healing spells and crafting restoratives, studied under the tutelage of both Crowe and her mother.

The worry of the burden on Diana's young shoulders didn't go away over the short years, and only escalated when Gentiana appeared to Luna only to confirm their fears.

"You should not doubt her, Oracle Queen," the Astral chided gently, her eyes closed. "You bear the same burden as she will one day."

"I have Noctis," Luna pointed out, her hands twisting in her lap. "I do not bear the responsibility of ruling Lucis in its entirety. Diana will have to do so someday, even if she chooses to marry. As part of the line of Lucis, that is her birthright and her duty, and if she is made Oracle-"

"It is also her birthright and duty," Gentiana said, stopping her mid-sentence. "You were yourself resilient in the face of war and with the inexperience of your youth. Dawn does not share the same calling as her sister, but perhaps with guidance, Diana's burden will lessen with her help."

Diana Lucis Caelum-Fleuret did not disappoint.

With conflicting emotions from her family, she began both her Oracle's training along with her other royal lessons right after school every day at twelve years old, the same age as Lunafreya when she first began. Her time with family, friends, and even time on her own lessened considerably; it was around this time that the two Princesses moved out of their old room into their own rooms, Diana's lessons piling one on top of the other. Dawn's moods seemed to dampen in correlation with spending less time with her sister, her ten-year-old self fighting tears of disappointment and anger when she was told time and again that Diana could not play with her after her own lessons.

It was on one of those days that Noctis found her sitting on a bench in the garden as she kicked her still-short legs, swinging them wildly. A storm cloud hung over her blonde head, her small hands gripping the warm-colored wood of the bench as tight as she could while she sulked. Taking in the sight, he would have been amused if it wasn't for the thunderous look on her face. Walking over, he gently cleared his throat, the girl not even looking up at him.

"You have a few minutes, honey?" he asked.

Dawn let out a non-committal grunt, scooting over to make room for her father. Noctis frowned, reaching over and fixing a piece of stray hair in her bangs.

"What's wrong, Dawnie?"

It took a few minutes of coaxing, but Dawn finally caved, her small shoulders sagging. "Daddy," she said, finally looking at him. "Will me n' Diana get another sibling?"

That was the last question Noctis expected her to ask. He blinked owlishly. "Why?"

She kicked hard at the ground, swinging her legs again. "She doesn't have time to play with me anymore," she grumbled. Dawn opened her mouth again, but then immediately clamped it shut, causing Noctis to chuckle a little.

"Are you feeling a little lonely?" he asked, smoothing her blonde hair. She scowled, but couldn't help it when her expression became crestfallen, answering her father's question without words. "Have you been feeling like everyone's been asking about Diana and you're on your own?"

Dawn turned her quickly-watering blue eyes to Noctis, who immediately gathered his younger daughter in his arms just as the tears leaked out, the ten-year-old sniffling as hard as she could to stop her crying.

"You miss her," he murmured, feeling her nod against his shoulder, her still-small hands grabbing onto the fabric of his shirt. "But I think, Dawnie, that she misses spending time with you too."

At this, she lifted her head, surprise and confusion scrunching her eyebrows together. Despite her being obviously upset, Noctis still let out a small chuckle, kissing her temple. "What do you think about Diana being both Queen and Oracle though?" he asked. Dawn almost tilted her head to the side, confused.

"Why's it important?" she asked right back. He smiled; she was as sharp as her mother.

"Well, Diana is busy with homework, princess lessons, and Oracle training on top of combat training. Do you…" Noctis floundered a little, trying to find the right words. "Do you _want_ to do more?"

He winced at the way his question sounded, watching her look up at him with wide eyes. "You mean more than school an' princess lessons and training with Uncle Nyx and Uncle Luche? Well…" her nose scrunched up a little. "I was gonna ask you and Mama if I could play sports at school next year…"

Noctis raised his eyebrows; this was news to him. "What kind?"

Dawn shrugged. "Whatever the PE teacher says. PE is fun, and and and just the other day, we were playing rugby, and this boy was running to the ball and-"

While his younger daughter was busy regaling the tale of how she nearly broke a poor boy's nose with her shoulder in _touch, touch_ rugby, his twelve-year-old walked into the garden with a skip in her step. As soon as Dawn saw her sister, she immediately stopped talking, letting out a loud, excited gasp instead, her blue eyes so wide it was just _adorable_. She hopped off the bench and rushed over to Diana, pouncing on her as soon as she was within reach.

"Diana!" Dawn nearly shrieked. "Can you play with me today?"

Diana's arms reached around her sister, giving her a tight squeeze. "Auntie Crowe said she wanted to give me some free time today, and someone said you might be here, so I came to look for you."

The younger Caelum-Fleuret was beaming, excitement radiating from her in waves. Noctis smiled fondly at his daughters as Diana gently extracted herself from Dawn, still holding on to the latter's hand as she walked to her father to give him a brief hug. "Hi, Daddy."

He kissed her forehead, pushing her dark hair back from her eyes. "Hi, sweetheart," he greeted. "Busy day?"

It seemed that he always forgot how almost freakishly mature for her age Diana could be sometimes, an almost-carbon copy of Luna's personality, this time reminded when she almost rolled her eyes at him. "Every day, Daddy."

Noctis grinned. "Atta girl."

"Daddy?"

He turned his attention to Dawn, who had extracted her hand from her sister's and was now twisting her fingers together in front of her. "Yes, darling?"

"Honestly, what Diana is doing sounds boring," she admitted quietly. "I don't think I would want to do any of those things. Sorry, Diana," she apologized sheepishly. "But but but I can help play with you when you get bored!" Dawn then said, eyes bright as she looked up at her sister.

Diana affectionately ruffled her hair, Noctis looking fondly at both his girls. Maybe he and Luna had been wrong. There was nothing to worry about- Stella, Prompto, and Ignis were right; Dawn was her own person and maybe she could have been Oracle, could have helped her sister, the future Queen, shoulder the burden, but maybe it was better that she did it this way, in a way only she could help with. And Diana, since when had she let them down? She took on her responsibilities with grace and poise that could rival her mother's someday. She might be the future Queen of Lucis, might bear the weight of being Oracle, but she didn't have to be both alone.

Noctis' memories took him back to younger days of traveling across Eos and sitting around campfires with his brothers. They may not have been able to bear the burden for him, but they could be there with him, and maybe Dawn and Diana weren't old enough to realize it yet, but that was exactly what the two of them were doing. It made his chest swell with pride, seeing his daughters side by side.

"Wanna go spar?" Dawn asked Diana excitedly. "Uncle Luche and Uncle Nyx taught me a new move, and it was super funny because Uncle Tredd was there and he actually screamed when Uncle Luche grabbed him while warping and-" she got more excited about it the more she talked, stopping her rant only when Diana let out a laugh. "Sorry, sissy."

"I want to see you grab something mid-warp," she said, putting an arm around her sister. Dawn wriggled from her grip and grabbed her hand instead, pulling her out of the garden and to, presumably, one of the training fields outside.

"LOVEYOUDADDYBYE!" Dawn hollered, Diana's laugh echoing down the hall as they ran.

Noctis chuckled, standing up and slowly making his way out of the garden to watch his daughters. Diana may not have had the time she had before to spend with them, but she made them all exceedingly proud. Dawn may not have had the calling to become an Oracle, but she did to be a sister, and, Noctis mused, seeing his wife and her sister down the hallway hand-in-hand, that was what really mattered.


End file.
